The Wannabe

"Don't write the history books yet." Thomas (Piazza) has become obsessed with the trial of John Gotti and thinks it is his mission to find a way to get him off. When his plan falls through He tries to find another way to become a wise-guy. The only way he can think to do this is to begin robbing mafia hangouts. Together him and his wife Rose (Arquette) complete a string of hold-ups that finally gets him noticed. I am a huge fan of any type of mafia movie. There was a fantastic movie called Rob The Mob that came out a few years ago that dealt with this same story. Like that one this one is also very good and I really liked it. There were some differences between the two but the biggest one was that Thomas was played as someone who talks a big game, but is different when he is in action in this movie. To me that little change really added to the realism of this and added to the overall feel of the movie. The acting is really good in this, but Piazza's portrayal is really what makes the movie and I highly recommend this. Overall, a very good movie that really makes you relate to Thomas, something that is usually hard to do in a mafia movie. I give this a high B+.

If you can accept Patricia Arquette as a New Yorker with a Brooklyn brogue, you might enjoy this slow-moving look at a couple of losers who decide to rob the Mob. There was nothing new here. If you saw Rob the Mob a year earlier then you have already seen this film. The difference is Rob the Mob was more of a dark-humored comedy, and The Wannabe is dead serious. Too serious to be exact. I couldn't sympathize with the leads one bit.

This was a puzzle. The film based on the true story of Tommy Uva and Rosie DeToma who decided to rob the mafia in their own drinking dens in the early 90s. He was 28. She was 31. Yet in the film the actor Vincent Piazza playing Tommy is 39 and Patricia Arquette - looking a bit like a glamorous grannie / mature Chrissy Hind - is 47! Too old to play a couple of naive wannabe Bonnie and Clyde's in thrall to mafia boss John Gotti.

After a slow start the robberies suddenly spew out as if on fast forward as Tommy gets addicted to drugs and the hand held camera is flying all over the place.

Rob the Mob (2014) played the same story for laughs. This film fell a bit flat but has a slight twist in the ending as if she knew what was coming.

This film seems to never identify what it is. Yeah, it's a "mob" movie - like we haven't seen enough of them. The story is simple enough - a loser who is a little off is a mafia wannabe and is infatuated with, who else? John Gotti. It revolves around Gotti's last trial when he was found guilty. Thomas is in court every day and figures out that a black juror and a black spectator are twin brothers so he decides to get to the juror through the brother. Only problem is they aren't brothers. It's poorly directed and the whole premise is not brought out well.

Thomas is a loner who is out of prison on parole, but we never find out why he went to prison. By his actions we might assume it was for some petty crime or drugs. He finds a tough neighborhood girlfriend and they become a team, drink, take drugs, and when his plan to free Gotti fails, they turn to a hit and run robbing operation. They stick up card games that are "protected " by the mob. It's poorly designed and a bit ridiculous since Thomas never wears a mask and everyone knows him, but he seems to walk the streets on NYC without worries.

The crime spree tapers down after he fails to assassinate Curtis Swila whose radio talk show has been badmouthing Gotti throughout the trial. So bad...

Fortunately, this film had to end and dies with the Thomas and Rose getting "hit" in their car.

Supposedly a true story? Bad script, bad direction, makes for a bad movie.

Thomas idolizes the Mob and especially 'the Teflon Don' – John Gotti, seeing him as a modern day Robin Hood and the incidental crimes as sort of a necessary evil – sort of thing. Anyway we join them in 1992 when Gotti is on trial and the Teflon becomes 'Velcro' as all the charges start to stick.

Now Thomas is going out with a girl of questionable intellect and indeed taste who is brilliantly played by Patricia Arquette. Desperate to become part of the Gangsta scene Thomas hatches a plan to free his idol but in so doing he sets off a chain of events that he will become useless to control.

So is it any good? Well it is very watchable but sometimes feels very small in that it is a very personal tale about – essentially- two people and how they believe their own bull. Whilst this does not detract from the entertainment it also leave unmolested the underlying issues of worshipping the worst in society. That said it is still a well made and acted film that will appeal to any who like mob lore but it is not in the same league as the 'Goodfelllas' of this world.